'Birth Certificate Matter...': When Obama Mocked Trump At White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Last Updated:April 25, 2026, 23:14 IST

At the 2011 dinner, Obama directly referenced Trump, saying, “Donald Trump is here tonight,” before joking about his then-public questioning of President Obama’s birthplace.

President Donald Trump is set to attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, marking his first appearance at the annual gathering as commander-in-chief after skipping the event throughout his first term.

His decision brings him back to a long-standing Washington tradition that has often reflected the tense relationship between the presidency, the press, and the political establishment. It also renews attention on a notable moment from 2011, when then-President Barack Obama and comedian Seth Meyers used the stage to deliver pointed jokes at Trump during a period that later became a defining part of his political narrative.

At the 2011 dinner, Obama directly referenced Trump, saying, “Donald Trump is here tonight," before joking about his then-public questioning of President Obama’s birthplace.

“Now, I know he’s taken some flak lately, but no one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than The Donald."

He added that Trump could now focus on issues such as conspiracy theories about the moon landing and the disappearance of cultural figures—remarks that drew widespread attention at the time.

The exchange occurred after Trump had publicly questioned Obama’s citizenship, a controversy that led to the release of Obama’s long-form birth certificate by the State of Hawaii later that year.

The remarks from that night have since been widely revisited in political commentary, with some analysts suggesting the episode contributed to Trump’s growing profile in national politics ahead of his eventual presidential run. Trump, however, later denied that the jokes played any role in his decision to enter the race, telling The Washington Post in 2016 that his candidacy was driven by multiple factors and not the 2011 event.

Trump’s return to the Correspondents’ Dinner places him once again at the centre of a Washington media tradition that has long blended satire and politics, while also reviving one of the most frequently discussed moments in his early public life.

News world 'Birth Certificate Matter...': When Obama Mocked Trump At White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Read More